The Best of... So Far is a greatest hits album by British rock band The Kooks, released on 19 May 2017 by Virgin and Astralwerks.[1] The compilation includes singles from the band's four studio albums to date, non-singles "Seaside" and "Matchbox" from debut album Inside In/Inside Out, and two new tracks, "Be Who You Are" and "Broken Vow". The deluxe edition of the album includes a 20-track second disc containing demos and alternate versions.[2]
| The Best of... So Far | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | 19 May 2017 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, indie pop, chamber pop, alternative | |||
| Label | Virgin EMI | |||
| The Kooks chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editOn 21 November 2016, The Kooks announced a 'Best Of' UK Tour to take place in April and May 2017 to mark their tenth anniversary as a band, in which they were planning to perform hits, b-sides and brand new music.[3] To coincide with the tour, on 31 March 2017 the band announced the upcoming release of The Best of... So Far, as well as releasing "Be Who You Are", one of two new songs included on the compilation.[4]
Lead singer and songwriter Luke Pritchard cited initial hesitation in releasing a greatest hits compilation. He stated, "I wasn't particularly sure about the idea of doing a 'best of' album to begin with, because we're not even old - we haven't even been around for twenty years, but it's been cool to see the nostalgia out there from people who grew up with our music." Regarding the compilation's song selection, Pritchard added, "We chose the songs that we thought defined us the most over the years and put them on there."
The two new songs included in the compilation were recorded during sessions with producer Brandon Friesen for the band's upcoming fifth album, Let's Go Sunshine. According to Pritchard, "Be Who You Are" was an attempt to recreate the band's old sound. He said, "I was like, 'What would I have written then, and what kind of style should it be?' The lyrics are all self-reflective and about me at that time. I thought it would be good to go with all the other songs, so it's a nice reflective moment."
Meanwhile, "Broken Vow" is a tale that was inspired by the "hypocrisy" of the Catholic Church, of which Pritchard had some first-hand experience having gone to an all-boys Catholic school in his youth.[5]
Pritchard was also keen to emphasize that this compilation did not signal the end of the band. "It's been the greatest pleasure to work, travel, fight, hate and love the best and most talented people I've met in my life. It's the greatest job in the world and we don't intend to stop any time soon."[1]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Naïve" |
| 3:25 | |
| 2. | "Always Where I Need to Be" | Pritchard | Hoffer | 2:41 |
| 3. | "Junk of the Heart (Happy)" |
| Hoffer | 3:07 |
| 4. | "Bad Habit" |
| Inflo | 3:41 |
| 5. | "She Moves in Her Own Way" |
| Hoffer | 2:49 |
| 6. | "Shine On" | Pritchard | Hoffer | 3:15 |
| 7. | "Seaside" |
| Hoffer | 1:39 |
| 8. | "Down" |
| Inflo | 2:43 |
| 9. | "Sofa Song" |
| Hoffer | 2:14 |
| 10. | "Is It Me" | Pritchard | Hoffer | 3:29 |
| 11. | "You Don't Love Me" |
| Hoffer | 2:35 |
| 12. | "Forgive & Forget" |
| Inflo | 3:57 |
| 13. | "Ooh La" |
| Hoffer | 3:32 |
| 14. | "Sway" | Pritchard | Hoffer | 3:37 |
| 15. | "Eddie's Gun" |
| Hoffer | 2:14 |
| 16. | "Matchbox" |
| Hoffer | 3:12 |
| 17. | "Be Who You Are" (Alternative Intro) |
| Friesen | 3:54 |
| 18. | "Broken Vow" |
| Friesen | 4:26 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19. | "Naïve" (The Him Remix) |
| Hoffer | 3:27 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Eddie's Gun" (demo) | Paul Stacey | 2:11 | |
| 2. | "Sofa Song" (demo) | 2:04 | ||
| 3. | "Pull Me In" |
| 3:18 | |
| 4. | "California" | Mason Jennings | The Kooks | 2:10 |
| 5. | "Slave to the Game" |
| The Kooks | 2:59 |
| 6. | "Constantine's Love" (demo) | Pritchard | 2:52 | |
| 7. | "Naïve" (alternate version) | Ian Broudie | 3:29 | |
| 8. | "Suburbs" (demo) | Pritchard | 3:11 | |
| 9. | "Lesson Number 3" (demo) |
| 3:30 | |
| 10. | "The Saboteur" (demo) | Pritchard[9] | 4:04 | |
| 11. | "Shine On" (demo) | 2:26 | ||
| 12. | "Disappear" (demo) | Pritchard[10] | 3:45 | |
| 13. | "Catch That" (demo) |
| Pritchard | 2:13 |
| 14. | "Creatures of Habit" |
| Innis | 4:20 |
| 15. | "Lonely Cat" (demo) | Pritchard[12] | 3:17 | |
| 16. | "Gap" (demo) |
| 3:49 | |
| 17. | "Always Where I Need to Be" (demo) | 2:34 | ||
| 18. | "If Only" (demo) |
| 2:03 | |
| 19. | "Be Mine" (demo) |
| 2:35 | |
| 20. | "Bus Song" |
| The Kooks | 2:04 |
Personnel
edit- Luke Pritchard – vocals, guitar
- Hugh Harris – guitar (except tracks 4, 8 and 12), backing vocals
- Peter Denton – bass (tracks 3, 4, 8, 10, 17 and 18), guitar (track 4), backing vocals
- Alexis Nuñez – drums (tracks 4, 8, 12, 17 and 18), bass (track 12)
- Max Rafferty – bass (except tracks 3, 4, 8, 10, 12, 17 and 18), backing vocals
- Paul Garred – drums (except tracks 4, 8, 12, 17 and 18)
Charts
edit| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] | 47 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] | 167 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[19] | 15 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[20] | 18 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[21] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b "The Kooks Announce Greatest Hits Album, Share New Song". Archived from the original on 8 April 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
- ^ "The Best Of... So Far Deluxe - Signed".
- ^ "The Kooks return for mammoth 'Best Of' UK tour in 2017 - NME". NME. 21 November 2016.
- ^ "Listen to The Kooks' new single 'Be Who You Are' as they announce Best of album - NME". NME. 31 March 2017.
- ^ "The Kooks take us inside the studio – exclusive pics and interview - NME". NME. 31 March 2017.
- ^ "Be Who You Are". BMI. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ "Broken Vow". BMI. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ "Pull Me In". ASCAP. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ "The Saboteur". ASCAP. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ "Disappear". ASCAP. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ "Creatures of Habit". BMI. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ "Lonely Cat". ASCAP. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ "Gap". ASCAP. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ "If Only". ASCAP. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ "Be Mine". BMI. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ "Bus Song". BMI. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – The Kooks – The Best Of... So Far" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – The Kooks – The Best Of... So Far" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- ^ "British album certifications – Kooks – The Best Of So Far". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 August 2020.